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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 17 Jan 2022
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

Speech Link

View all Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 24 Jun 2021
Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (Juxtaposed Controls) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order

Speech Link

View all Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (Juxtaposed Controls) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order

Written Question
Undocumented Migrants
Monday 27th November 2017

Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to ensure, in determining how many people are in the United Kingdom illegally, that exit checks and the International Passenger Survey cover dual nationals.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Any estimate of the exact size of the illegal population is extremely difficult and there would be considerable uncertainty around it.

Exit checks were introduced in April 2015 and are, over time, providing more detailed insights into the behaviour of migrants and how they comply with the restrictions placed upon their length of stay in the UK, but the data obtained does not provide the total number of illegal migrants in the UK. Instead of producing inaccurate numbers, the Government is focused on making it harder for people to live in the UK illegally.

The International Passenger Survey is the responsibility of the Office for National Statistics and does not provide estimates of the size of the illegal population.


Written Question
Undocumented Migrants
Monday 27th November 2017

Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals they estimate to be in the United Kingdom illegally.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Any estimate of the exact size of the illegal population is extremely difficult and there would be considerable uncertainty around it.

Exit checks were introduced in April 2015 and are, over time, providing more detailed insights into the behaviour of migrants and how they comply with the restrictions placed upon their length of stay in the UK, but the data obtained does not provide the total number of illegal migrants in the UK. Instead of producing inaccurate numbers, the Government is focused on making it harder for people to live in the UK illegally.

The International Passenger Survey is the responsibility of the Office for National Statistics and does not provide estimates of the size of the illegal population.


Written Question
Undocumented Migrants
Monday 27th November 2017

Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HL Deb, cols 769–70), how many individuals are recorded by the Home Office as being in the United Kingdom illegally.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Any estimate of the exact size of the illegal population is extremely difficult and there would be considerable uncertainty around it.

Exit checks were introduced in April 2015 and are, over time, providing more detailed insights into the behaviour of migrants and how they comply with the restrictions placed upon their length of stay in the UK, but the data obtained does not provide the total number of illegal migrants in the UK. Instead of producing inaccurate numbers, the Government is focused on making it harder for people to live in the UK illegally.

The International Passenger Survey is the responsibility of the Office for National Statistics and does not provide estimates of the size of the illegal population.


Written Question
Undocumented Migrants: Bank Services
Monday 27th November 2017

Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 23 October (HL Deb, cols 769–70), how many individuals have been identified as being in the United Kingdom unlawfully only through checks carried out by banks and building societies under the Immigration Act 2016.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Any estimate of the exact size of the illegal population is extremely difficult and there would be considerable uncertainty around it.

The banking measures only apply to disqualified persons - these are illegal migrants who are known to the Home Office and are liable for removal or deportation from the UK. The Home Office shares details of disqualified persons with banks and building societies via a specified anti-fraud organisation, for them to check against their records.

The 2016 Act banking measures came into force on 30 October; however, banks and building societies are required to conduct their first immigration check on all personal current accounts within the first quarter (January – March) of 2018. Banks and building societies must report any matches to the Home Office and only take action on accounts when instructed by the Home Office.


Written Question
Public Sector: Immigrants
Wednesday 22nd November 2017

Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 10 October (HL Deb, col 105), what assessment they have made of the impact on the infrastructure and public services of the UK of migrants from outside the UK staying for (1) 12 months or more, and (2) less than 12 months.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Assessments of public service impacts of migration have been considered in previous Home Office publications – ‘Social and Public Service Impacts of International Migration at the Local Level’ published in 2013; and Annex 6 of the Impact Assessment accompanying The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Order 2016 provide examples of how these have previously been considered.

These publications can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-and-public-service-impacts-of-international-migration-at-the-local-level

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/177/impacts


Written Question
Refugees: Social Security Benefits
Tuesday 14th November 2017

Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 25 July 2016 (HL1295) and 1 November (HL2214), whether it is still their intention to publish an evaluation of the scheme, given their earlier stated intention to publish that evaluation in 2016; and if so, when that evaluation will be published.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The scheme is intended to to ensure that refugees who wish to apply for benefits are assisted with their application and receive prompt payment of any benefit for which they qualify. We will make information available about the scheme in due course.


Written Question
Borders: Security
Thursday 26th October 2017

Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to border security of dual nationals using international passenger survey or paper-based landing cards listing only a single nationality.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

There is no requirement for a passenger to declare their dual nationality status on arrival to the United Kingdom. A Border Force officer will examine the document a passenger chooses to present on arrival and complete the mandatory checks outlined in the Border Force Operating Mandate.

A Border Force officer will only grant entry to a passenger once they have satisfactorily established their nationality, identity and immigration status in the UK and that they do not pose a security risk.


Written Question
Borders: Security
Thursday 26th October 2017

Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how border security can be ensured without the use of paper-based international travel cards.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The UK operates a secure border. All passengers arriving on scheduled services from outside of the Common Travel Area must satisfactorily establish their identity and nationality to allow a decision to be taken on their eligibility for entry to the UK. Travel documents and ID cards are currently the internationally accepted means for doing this. Documents which also contain a biometric chip are regarded as more secure than paper-based documents alone as the chip allows a more accurate reconciliation of the individual to the document. There are no current plans to operate our border controls without the use of a document or card.